The Reversal
by The Charmed Rose
Summary: In 1964, mutant Pamela Harvey met Erik Lehnsherr for the first time. Leaving her questioning her loyalties, as well as her morals. Spanning decades of death, betrayal and anger, how did Pamela end up in a therapist chair and hiding a closet full of regret?
1. Chapter 1

Hi! So I've gotten a bit addicted to X-Men thanks to my friend Rebecca, which meant I had to do a fanfiction lol. It's not perfect, but I hope it's enjoyable. :)

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**_Hello? Is this thing working? _**

**_Ah! Righty o. _**

**_Hello, my name is Pamela Eloise Harvey. I've been forced by my ponce of a therapist, and my rather annoyingly stubborn daughter to start these recordings recounting some of the key events in my life. I refused to talk to the bloody poof, so instead he suggested I try this rubbish out. Better than the alternative I guess. _**

**_I'm eighty-five years of age- Yes I'm old but I have a good right hook- and I am a mutant. I'm just one of many individuals, who have gained special abilities through quite a bit of advanced evolution. My mutation is that I have the power to compel people to follow my wishes, whether I say the command aloud or do so telepathically. Though it sounds all well and good, it's quite useless when faced against those who cannot be affected by mental mutations, and when you're an elderly woman in a wheelchair you're faced with quite the predicament._**

**_I'm just one of countless mutants in the world, some with powers ranging from telepathy to shape shifting. Being a mutant isn't really considered a good thing, and we're often seen as mistakes in nature. We're considered walking bits of evolution gone too far, and at times we are all painted as power hungry tyrants, eager for war against all of humanity. And yes, a fair amount of mutants do. Some have chosen to follow Magneto and his Brotherhood of mutants, who see peace with humans as null and void and completely unreachable. Perhaps I'm naïve and foolish beyond all hope, but I like to have faith that our antagonistic relations with non-mutants will ease over time._**

**_Two of the very first mutants I ever met, were brother and sister Charles and Raven. I had met them both at school back in England, when they'd caught me yelling bloody murder at a school yard bully to 'shut up.' As my power is quite literal, the boy promptly ceased to speak. Terrified at my power I had avoided the pair at first, but slowly over time I grew to trust those persuasive buggers, and they confided to me their very own mutations. Charlie boy was a telepath, and could read minds as well as control them. Dear old Raven was a shape shifter, whose original form consisted of beautiful patterned blue skin and red hair. Unfortunately, she'd often shift into a shape, that was considered more 'normal' in our society. Even so, the three of us got along great. For the first time in my life I felt as though I was not carrying the burden of being what I was on my own, and I had two friends who could truly understand the difficulty in which having a mutation could present._**

**_And for a while, the three of us had a pretty good life._**

**_…_****_._**

_Oxford University, England 1962_

I watched absentmindedly as Charlie chatted up the blonde girl at the bar, finding myself already bored by the nights events. The ever so cheerful Raven sat beside me, glaring away at the pair. "Staring at them won't do anything." I mumbled, my chin on my hand as I stared into space. "It looks as though he's looking to get laid, and you know our Charlie boy-" I laughed at my own expense, taking a little too long to register Raven getting up and heading towards them.

"Ah! Raven!" I called nervously after her, trailing behind her hurriedly.

"Mutant and proud." The blonde toasted, clicking her glass with Charles's just as Raven and I approached. Raven being Raven, promptly rolled her eyes. "I guess I have to buy my own drink." Raven commented. "Oo! Me too!" I chimed in with a smirk.

"Sorry two colas!" Charles asked the bartender. _Party pooper. _"Charles here was just telling me I'm like one of the first sea creatures that grew legs," The blonde explained, with a flirty undertone to her voice. "_You wish!"_ I replied, covering my comment with a cough that didn't go unnoticed by Charles. I simply threw him an amused grin, enjoying our remerged antics. "No," Charles turned back to the woman, "but a tiny bit sexier." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"I'm sorry," Charles apologized, turning back to the two of us. "This is my sister Raven, and our mutual friend Pamela. "It's Pam the man if you get on my good side." I grinned, winking at the woman jokingly. "Hi." The woman smiled, shaking both of our hands. "Amy. And what are you studying?"

"Waitressing." Raven deadpanned.

"The art of slacking." I added.

"Ah."

Suddenly, one of Raven's eyes shifted into a bright golden colour. "Oh look you have Heterochromia too!" Amy exclaimed excitedly. "Sorry what?" Charles checked. Snorting, I sat back and watched. "Well look at her eye." Charles complied, visibly growing stiff as Raven simply smiled back._ Here we go._ "Right," he sighed, placing some money on the bar, "Raven, Pam, get your coats we're leaving."

…

"Don't talk to me, you did that on purpose!" Charles snapped, as the three of us left the bar. "I did not!" Raven argued. "Why would I do it on purpose? You know I can't control it sometimes! Sometimes when I'm stressed, or tired-"

"You seem to be doing a perfectly good job right now."

"Cut her some slack mate."

"I am not talking to you."

"What did I do?" I asked, hands held in surrender.

"Mutant and proud!" Raven mocked Amy, in an overly done British accent. "Or is it only with pretty mutations, or invisible ones like yours, but if you're a freak you better hide!" she exclaimed.

"You're being ridiculous!" Charles exclaimed, as the siblings continued to argue. "Look, I don't mean to sound like an old fart-"

"Which you are."

"Most definitely."

"Sometimes."

"But we've talked about this Raven, a small slip up is one thing a big one does not bear thinking about." Charles snapped. "Don't even get me started on you and your smart arse comments." He pointed, beginning to walk off.

"I AM NOT A SMART ARSE!"

"SHUT UP PAMELA!"

…..

Later on, I found myself back inside my room in the apartment, alone once more with my thoughts. _It would be today._ And where was he now? Barely realising what I was doing, I found my fist clenching in anger at the memories slowly bubbling beneath the surface. My life could have turned out completely different if it wasn't for that bastard Sebastian Shaw. His name alone was enough to make my blood boil.

_"__Hello Pamela."_

_An eerie chill went down the spine of the twelve year old Pamela, her body freezing as her eyes met the German's eyes. Her father had called him a specialist. He had said he could help with what was wrong with her, the way she could charm the most tough and stoic of personas. Her mother had remained tight lipped, complying with her husband's wishes obediently. Yet the fear in her eyes gave her away when they had entered the room, how panicked she appeared to be as her shot across the room and landed on the German._

_"__Now, I hear you have a talent for charm speak-tell me how often do you use it?" he asked._

_Pamela remained silent, scared to so much as open her mouth._

_"__Answer!" Her father spat, prodding her harshly on the shoulder._

_"__I see." He commented to himself, pushing his glasses upwards from the bridge of his nose. "Pamela, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to count to three," he began, pulling out a gun, "and if you don't tell that man over there to shoot himself, I will kill your mother." Pamela gulped out of fear, her hands beginning to shake erratically as she fidgeted with them, her breathing going uneven. She cast a desperate glance at her father, who simply looked away- eyes cast far from the one he'd always refuse to call daughter until he could fix her. That was what this was about. He wanted her fixed, in his eyes she had been born wrong, and a part of her needed to be corrected. Pamela's mother stared imploringly at her, terrified sobs leaving her throat as the guards restrained her from trying to flee. The tall, burley guard the German had pointed to trembled, looking like a trapped deer in a cage._

_"__Please-" Pamela begged. The German pointed the gun threateningly in her mother's direction, guessing she was trying to use her gift on him. "I'd rather you didn't do that." He warned calmly. "1…" He was bluffing, no one would do that. "2…" They were just trying to scare her, it was a last resort technique. "3."_

**_"_****_BANG!"_**

Shaking myself out of the memory, I began to recall the letter I had received that morning from one of my informants who lived in France. He'd found the banker I had tracked down, and it seemed I wasn't the only one who was looking for Sebastian Shaw. My informant Henri had travelled to find him as a favour, and though he couldn't find out whom, he discovered that a man-with no name- had been asking about Shaw's location. He was in Argentina. I contemplated for quite some time over whether I should go, and seek my revenge for what that man had done to me. But I couldn't help but wonder that even if I did go, would this man beat me to it?

….

"So how does it feel to be a professor?" Raven asked, as we left the school building. "Do you feel old? Wise? Bit of both?" I quizzed jokingly, nudging his free arm whilst the other held up the umbrella that shielded all three of us from the rain. "Ay professor?"

"Don't call me that!" Charles groaned, "you don't get to be called a professor until you actually have a teaching position." "I know, but it suits you!" Raven smiled. "Makes you sound all wise and noble mate." I agreed. Charles groaned once more. "Don't say that! Do say, 'let's go have a drink.'"

"Let's go have a drink!"

"And about fifty pints too."

"Wonderful."

….

Shaking my head to myself, I laughed in delight with the rest of the bar as Charlie boy chugged down a load of beer. The whole crowd cheering him on, everyone seemed to be in a lively mood. "Yeeeah!" Charles yelled in victory, enveloping both Raven and I in a warm hug. "I'm so proud of you." Said Raven, breaking free from the hug. "It's all I ever wanted!" I exclaimed with fake emotion. "To take you two on an all-night bender!" I cried, ruffling both of their heads much to their annoyance. "I need another drink, and you two need some colas."

"And you were being so fun a moment ago." I sighed.

"Such a tragedy." Charles snorted. "Oo! I'll get one!" I declared, attempting to follow after him. However a woman emerged in front of our shared path, promptly blocking Charles off from Amy. That amused me greatly, I can assure you. She had her hair quite straight, and was a dark, auburn colour. I got the sense she was rather reserved from the way she dressed, sticking mostly to darker shades. Though I could hardly judge, seeing as how I was dressed like a punk rocker, and my hair was pure dark brown. "Congratulations professor." I heard the woman say from my place behind Charles, stepping out from behind him to get a better look at her. "Thank you very much . It's much harder than it looks actually." Charles replied, fiddling with the filter. Closing my eyes, I resisted the urge to whack Charles on the arm.

"No, on your presentation." The woman corrected, her voice sounding American. "You were at my presentation? How nice of you. Thank you very much." He smiled, shaking her hand. "Hi, I'm Pamela Harvey- the less brainy one." I quipped with a friendly smile, taking her hand in greeting. "Moira MacTaggert." The woman introduced. "Charles Xavier."

"Do you have a minute?"

"For a pretty little bean with a mutated MCR1 gene?" Charles asked.

"Most people just say yes mate." I whispered.

"I have five." He declared, pointedly ignoring me. "I'll be outside." I snorted, turning back for a second to watch him shamelessly try to flirt with Moira. Ah Charles.

….

"So what do you have for me?" I whispered to Henri outside the pub, praying Charles or Raven wouldn't come out and see me talking with him. "Two more men linked to Shaw, both somehow shot with their own guns-and it was not suicide." Henri explained worriedly. "Whoever it is, they are not looking to have a civil chat such as yourself Pamela."

"Stop now while you can."

"I can't!" I hissed, fidgeting frantically with my hands as I spoke. "There's someone out there who's going after him as well! What if the bloke is another mutant? It would explain the two dead blokes, who somehow didn't off themselves." Thinking deeply to myself, tried to imagine this mystery person's motivations. "You know he was willing to kill my mum, so there's an endless list of things he could have done to piss of this bloke!" I exclaimed.

"Perhaps you are right." Henri nodded. "Or this is simply any other human being, fuelled by normal human rage?" Henri suggested.

"God I've got no clue." Sighing tiredly, I laced my fingers through my hair. "I guess I'll just have to think it over."

…

**_A couple of days later, somehow I had found myself along with Charles and Raven in the CIA headquarters. Still to this very day, I am unable to comprehend how Charlie gets himself into certain situations. Moira turned out to be a CIA agent, who had witnessed some of her very own mutant action. At the time I barely knew what it was about, half paying attention as Charles explained the mutant process to some of the people working above Moira. Although I kept an ear out for a mention of these mutants, that Moira had apparently seen along with the fact that she had seen Sebastian Shaw. But also this mystery bloke's actions were on the forefront of my mind, and I was quite frankly riveted._**

"-may already be among us."

"Oh is it over?" I faked disappointment, opening my eyes.

"MacTaggert, you really think that some crackpot scientist is going to make me believe in sparkly dames and vanishing men?" Her superior asked, with only just a hint of sarcasm underlying his tone towards her. I sympathised with the poor woman, watching in disgust as the other men smirked at the man's comment. "You just bought yourself a one way ticket back to the typing pool. This meeting is over." He announced, with an air of finality in his voice.

Moira went to get up, however I gently pushed her back down. "Not quite yet mates." I smirked, nodding in signal to Charles to start talking. "I didn't really expect you to believe me, given that all you could think about during my presentation was what sort of pie they were serving in the commissary." Charles informed the man, plucking the information from his head. Admittedly, I found that seeing the look on his smug face wiped completely off felt rather fulfilling to my day.

"It's apple pecan." Charles added as an afterthought.

"I haven't been entirely honest with you love," Charles turned to Moira apologetically, "I'm sorry." He straightened considerably in his seat. "You see, one of the many spectacular things my mutation allows me to do, is that I can read your mind." Charles informed the men, with an eerie sense of calm.**_ And he never lets you forget it either._** "I've seen this before in a magic show." One of the men laughed, unable to take Charles seriously. "Are you going to ask us to think of a number between 1 and ten now?" The man joked. "No," Charles chuckled, "no Agent Stryker, I could ask you about your son, William, who you were thinking about, which is very nice. But I think I'd rather ask you about the Jupiter missiles America are currently placing in Turkey." He fired back.

"Oh bollocks." Cursing to myself, I placed a hand on my forehead.

"He's a god damn spy!"

And then the room erupted.

"You brought a goddamn spy into this facility!" One of the agents cursed. As an argument broke out between both sides, I glanced worryingly at Raven. She seemed to share my thoughts, getting up from her seat to shift into one of the men in the room. The arguing promptly stopped, all noise ultimately ceasing to exist. They all appeared to be fascinated with her, watching as Raven shifted into her normal blue skinned form.

"Close your jaw mate." I nodded to one of the blokes, snorting at the look of surprise on his face that he couldn't control his action.

"How's that for a magic trick?" Charles asked the room.

"Best I've ever seen." One of the men piped up.

"I want them out of here!" The agent ordered. "Put your finger down, it's rude to point." He stopped, but still contained the same amount of fury on his face. "And I want them locked down until I can figure out what to do."

"My facility is off site." The agent who seemed more receptive to us offered. They turned around, as though only realising he was there, sat slightly hidden at the back of the room. "I'll take them."

…

"I've always known that there were people like you out there!" exclaimed the man in black, as we strolled through the parking lot. "I've been the laughing stock of this agency, but I knew it!" "Good for you bud!" I smiled, genuinely complimenting him which was a rare moment for me. Though the man seemed sweet, the matter of Shaw was the main focus on my mind. Moira had a lead on him. A concrete one at that. Neither Charles nor Raven knew about my history with the man, and for years I had kept it a secret. Wondering whether to tell them, I breathed heavily as my mind continued to wander. I didn't notice my hands starting up again with my nervous habit, too far distracted to realize. If Shaw was where Moira thought he was, that meant the bloke hadn't got to him. Had he tried and failed? Or would we not be the only ones going after Shaw? "You are going to love my facility." The man in black reassured.

"That's going to have to wait." Charles informed him.

"Why?" he questioned, clueless as to what was going on. "Agent MacTaggert has a lead on Sebastian Shaw, and if we don't move now, apparently, we're going to lose him." Slightly more motivated, I hurried to keep up with their brisk pace of walking. "What?" he asked. Suddenly Moira pulled up in her car, prompting us to get in as Charles continued his conversation with the agent. "Not only can he read minds, he can communicate with them as well." Raven informed him. "And he never bloody lets you forget it." I added, slipping into the backseat next to Raven. "Moira and I just had a lovely conversation." Charles explained.

"Yes, we did." Moira confirmed light heartedly, both her and the agent taking it all rather well. Though quite surprised, it was rather refreshing to see how accepting they were of the whole mutation business. Charles chuckled, as the man appeared as though he couldn't quite comprehend it. "That is incredible!" he cried. "But I cannot take you anywhere else, without permission from upstairs." The man informed.

"Would you like to see one more magic trick?"

"Okay."

"Get in the car."

"Good idea."

The man slipped in immediately, and before I knew it, Moira began to race off in the car.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews and follows!**

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_"__THIS IS THE US COAST GUARD. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MOVE YOUR VESSEL. STAY WHERE YOU ARE." _

**_Eventually we ended up on a ship heading towards a boat Shaw was on, though rather hesitantly as no one knew the extent of what he would do when forced into a corner. Nervously I paced the deck, still unsure of what to expect. Would he fight back? Would he be taken in?_**

"That thing is giving me a flipping headache." I moaned, rubbing my head. "I don't know how you put up with every Tom, Dick and Harry in your head." At that moment we were both alone on the deck, momentarily so as the soldiers set out on their boats.

"You can't kill him Pam."

My blood practically ran cold at his words, and I could feel myself struggling to form any words. "You….. you read my mind?" It was practically abnormal for him to go into mine or Raven's minds, which meant he had a reason to do so. "You know, I've never asked how you got those scars." I promptly pulled the sleeves of my jacket down, as though it would erase them from existence. "But the way you reacted when Shaw's name was mentioned-I'm sorry but I had to find out." He explained. "I was worried-and no offence but you were hardly going to admit it were you?"

I hung my head in shame, almost afraid to look back up. "I don't know why I never told you, I just-" Trailing off, I attempted to think of a way to explain my words. "I felt like I had to carry what happened with my mother on my own. It shouldn't be any of your crosses to bear."

"Oh bollocks Pam."

I raised a brow in surprise.

"We're friends, and friends are people you are supposed to rely on when you need them most. And that's what we do. We look out for one another and protect each other, because that's what being a friend means." Charles stared at me, delivering the speech with quite a rousing tone. What could I say in response to that? "Alright mate." I nodded. "Lashing out isn't the answer Pamela." Said Charles. "It'll just lead you down the same path as him."

"Okay." I smiled. "Shaw may not be my favourite person, but perhaps I can redirect my anger." I suggested, smiling in gratitude to Charles. "Already you're delivering passionate speeches professor." I smirked, unable to resist taking another dig at him. Charles groaned, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Let's go see what progress they've made."

…..

We stood watching as the agents neared closer to Shaw's ship, proceeding cautiously as they did so. Charles and I stood with our new friend and Moira, watching with bated breath. However without warning, Charles was discovered a problem.

"I've lost Shaw!" he exclaimed, two fingers on his head. "How did that happen?" I stared, glancing at the ship. "I don't know, this has never happened to me before." He explained to the three of us. "I think there's someone like me on that ship." "Great." I cursed furiously. **_It's rather lucky Charles wasn't on Shaw's side. From what I've witnessed from him over the years, he and his power are both a force to be reckoned with. And the telepath on Shaw's side-Emma Frost- was most certainly that._** "Like you?" Moira asked. "I'm sorry, a telepath." Charles answered. "This is incredible!" He marvelled, sounding almost impressed. "I could actually feel her in my mind. I'm very sorry, but I don't think I'm gonna be much help tonight. You're on your own." Charles apologized.

"Could you do anything?" Moira turned to me. I shook my head, resisting the urge to take my frustration out on something. It was pathetic. For a so called gift, my mutation in that moment was utterly useless against the people we were going up against. "No." I shook my head. "Charles can't be controlled by my mutation, so I'll venture a guess and say this woman can't either. Plus if she can block herself off from my compulsion, I'm quite confident she could do it for Shaw as well." Annoyingly my hands began to play up once more, as I watched the agents helplessly. "If we're effectively useless, what's going to happen to them?"

That question was effectively answered soon enough, as some sort of storm came blasting from the boat, and straight towards the agents venturing forward. The telepath was not the only mutant on board.

"Oh god."

"Jesus."

The storm spiralled straight through the rows of boats, throwing them all into the ocean's depths. "Get inside!" I heard someone cry. But I could hardly hear. The image kept playing on repeat on my mind. They didn't even stand a chance, and that mutant had no problem with practically annihilating them. It affected me heavily.

**_That had been the first time I witnessed what a mutant's power could do when used wrongfully, and it shook me up hugely. Something like that had never crossed my young, naïve mind. I had considered mutants going down a darker path, but I had given it much thought until the events of that night._**

As we were hurriedly rushed into getting inside the ship, Charles cried out in protest. "Stop! Stop!" His fingers to his head, it was a signal that he was picking up something telepathically. "What is it?" I questioned, knowing not to question the things he picked up. "Charles are you okay?" I heard Moira pipe from behind me. Charles looked up, extreme worry etched on to his face. "There's someone else out there." He replied, dread mixed in with his words.

Following Charles back up to the dock, my mind went into overdrive. It couldn't be, could it? "There." Charles gestured, pointing to a metal anchor that seemed to be flying out of the water all on its own. "Holy-" I gulped, shocked yet amazed at the sight. Sure I had seen one of Shaw's men create an actual storm, but seeing the little limitations all these different mutants seem to have-it was scary and amazing at the same time. Violently the anchor surged forward, crashing through the ship and leaving a trail of destruction in its path. It continued to plough through the ship, completely wrecking it as it went through the top deck. Suddenly it stopped, dropping down as though the life had been drained through it. A submarine emerged from the ship, quickly attempting to escape. But as soon as the submarine emerged, so did the metal wielding mutant. At first I couldn't make him out quite clearly, but then as the submarine started moving-so did he. He was attempting to slow it down, but wasn't doing a good job of it.

"You have to let it go!" Charles shouted, having seen him too. I shouted along with Charles, but it was no use. He seemed to be too determined on trying to stop Shaw from escaping, and the effect it had on him didn't look to promising. "You've got to put someone in the water to help him!" Charles exclaimed to Moira. "Can't you do anything? He's gonna drown!" I pleaded.

"Let it go!"

"Let it go! You have to let it go!" The water crashed against the bloke violently, then suddenly without warning he went under. Seeing that we both had the same idea, we both ran to the edge of the ship. I shrugged off my jacket, and jumped into the water, Charles following closely after. Once we got far enough down, we spotted the bloke. I grabbed one of his arms whilst Charles got the other. However he protested, attempting to shrug us both off and free himself but failing. **_I later learned Charles sent him a message telepathically, begging him to return to the surface._** He continued to struggle, so I did the only thing I could think of. **_Now I'm a big advocate of free will, but the stubborn bugger wasn't exactly cooperating, and if we had stayed down there any longer, the three of us would have drowned. _**_'Stop struggling.' _ I ordered, feeling massively guilty for what I had done. He had effectively lost Shaw, and a chance to right whatever wrongs that had been made against him. I felt frustrated that nothing had been accomplished to find out what Shaw was up to. Eventually we surfaced, officially losing Shaw as the submarine drifted farther and farther from sight.

"Get off me!" "Get off!" The bloke cried.

We both let go of him, rather taken aback by his yells. "Oi meathead calm it!" I replied. Charles shot me a look of disbelief, as though he couldn't believe what had come out of my mouth. "Just calm down. Just breathe. We're here!" Charles urged the man, yelling back to the people on ship. "Who are you two?" he stared, glancing between the two of us curiously. "My name is Charles Xavier." Charles answered. "And my name is Pamela Harvey." I added, holding my hand up in a small wave. "You were both in my head! How did you do that?" the bloke asked, as we struggled to float in the water. "You've got your tricks, we have ours." Charles replied, referring to his little trick with the metal. "We're like you!" I deadpanned. "Just calm your mind!"

"I thought I was alone."

In that moment I truly sympathised with him.

I could well remember the days before I had met Charles and Raven, and they were not great. At least when you were around other mutants, it was a little easier. You had people to share the burden of being a 'freak', and it felt just that little bit easier to deal with. But when you were alone, and had nothing but your mutation that practically threw people away-well, it was probably one of the worst feelings in the world.

I let out a breathless laugh. "Far from it mate." I smiled.

Charles nodded. "Erik," So that was his name, "You're not alone."

And that was the first time we met Erik Lehnsherr.

….

**_This is why people hate shrinks you arse._**

**_Dr Sensitive seems to think I was withholding information in my last recording, and has asked me to touch upon the subject that I last mentioned. Wonderful. As if my dignity is not already in tatters. So what did I think of Erik when I first met him? I'm reading questions off a sheet provided by the doc by the way. I swear I'll probably die if he ever somehow gets a hold of this, but I was in a way, relieved. Though I still to this very day loathe Shaw for what he did to him, it felt like a reassurance. Shaw hadn't just screwed me up too. There was someone out there who knew what it felt like, being poked and prodded and played with like a toy. _**

**_And admittedly he was not easy on the eyes._**

**_Oh god I can't believe I just said that._**

**_Well just in case-_**

**_Erik you obnoxious prick, forget you heard any of that!_**

**_…_****_.._**

I was a mush head.

A great big flaming mush head.

Throughout the entire trip to our CIA friend's facility, I could never work up the courage to talk to Erik. Charles kept shooting me expectant looks, which I promptly returned with hard stares. Having no clue how to bring up such a subject such as Shaw, I remained unusually quiet throughout the trip. Charles had managed to persuade him to come with us back to the CIA, much to my relief. He too, I observed, looked like he had a lot on his mind after the incident.

The six of us exited the car once we arrived at the facility, rather impressed with the grand scale of things with how it was designed. "Welcome to my facility." My buddy introduced. "My mission has been to investigate the application of paranormal powers, and military defence." He explained.

"Or offence." Erik added.

**_Cheerful isn't he?_**

"This guy Shaw-Schmitt, whatever you wanna call him- he's working with the Russians." The agent explained. "We might need your help in stopping him."

"Marvellous." Commented Charles.

"Wonderful." I chimed in.

"So we are to be the CIA's new mutant division, yes?" Charles asked, as we all headed into the building. "Something like that." He replied.

…..

"It's a supersonic, most powerful one ever built. You should see it in real life it's incredible."

Inside, we were met by a young lab technician. Dressed to impress in a white lab coat, he looked fresh-faced and straight out of university. His glasses sat on the edge of his nose, making him look rather cute if I say so myself. "Hank," the agent began, gesturing to us, these are the special new recruits I was telling you about, this is Hank McCoy, one of our most talented young researchers." Charles being Charles automatically went up to greet him, and from what I observed, rather unusually giddy. "How wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Another mutant, already here." I blinked, not automatically registering. "Why didn't you say-" Charles trailed off, realised his mistake. I pulled a face, as Hank stood awkwardly not knowing how to respond.

"Say what?"

"Because you don't know..."

"I am so, so terribly sorry."

"Hank?"

Hank stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with his boss. "You didn't ask, so I didn't tell." Raven stepped forward. "So you're mutation is what? You're super smart?" Admittedly my curiosity was piqued, as visibly he had no features that could allow me to venture a guess as to what his mutation was. "I'll say," Charles commented, Hank here graduated Harvard at the age of 15." I raised my brows in surprise, finding myself rather impressed. "Impressive Hankie." I complimented him. He promptly turned bright red. Failing miserably to contain my smirk of amusement, I watched in fascination as Raven and Hank exchanged longing looks. "I wish that's all it was." Hank replied, looking as though he were quite nervous of our reactions. "You're among friends now Hank," Charlie reassured Hank, "you can show off." Hank began to toe off his shoes, reaching for his socks to pull them off. I glanced back at Erik, who was stood a small distance away from us. For a moment, he caught my gaze, staring at me curiously as though he were pondering why I had looked back at him. Shaking off the weird feeling I had gained from the odd moment, I turned my head around to find myself staring at Hank's bare feet. Charles began to chuckle in admiration, as we all stared in wonder. "Splendid." Hank moved past us, shifting to the side before jumping up on to the plane model. His feet miraculously gripped on to it, allowing him to hang upside down from the object. Laughing, I couldn't help but stare in awe of the ease in which he displayed his mutation. "Ta da!" he exclaimed quietly. I watched rather amusedly, as Raven stepped closer to him.

"You're amazing."

"Really?"

...

"In love already ay?"

Raven rolled her eyes as I stood beside her, the both of us watching curiously as Hank chatted with Charles. "Shut up." she smiled. I held up my hands in defence jokingly, knowing I'd be liking teasing her about this. "He's definitely not your usual type Darkholme, you're ever so mysterious." Raven raised a brow. "And you are ever so annoying-Harvey." We both chuckled lightly, finding the prospect of everything that was going on rather unbelievable. "And you can talk-" Raven added, breaking the silence. "I saw the way you were ogling Erik earlier." I mentally groaned. I wasn't really...

"No!" I denied a bit too quickly, judging by the look of unrestricted amusement on Raven's face.

"I was just...sussing the bloke out." I trailed off. "To ogle said bloke, I'd have to find him somewhat..." I searched for a word, coming up empty for a good few seconds, waving my hands as I continued to think. "Okay looking?" Truthfully, I didn't know how to tell her why I had been so curious about the bloke. I had never really been good with expressing myself openly, a pit of dread forming in my stomach whenever I did. I had shared with my father the secret of my mutation, and he had practically sold me to Shaw for a hefty price. After all that had occurred when I had been stuck being his lab rat-I mentally shuddered-I always thought twice about being so open about things. People like Charles and Raven had so much faith in people, and I honestly wished I knew how to begin to share in that sentiment.

"Oh yeah," I laughed, watching as Hank came over to join us. "He's not interested in you at all." Hank completely ignored me once he came over, only having eyes for my dear Darkholme. "Would you like to talk in private?" Raven gleefully agreed, shooting me an excited grin as she walked away from him. 'He loves you.' I mouthed, giving her the thumbs up. With one last good natured roll of her eyes, Raven turned her head back around.

...

"And you can't find Shaw?"

"He's no where within my reach Pamela. Truly I am sorry. Perhaps the CIA will have better luck."

"Yeah, maybe." I sighed, not at all convinced. "See ya Henri." I nodded, watching as he slipped away from the grounds.

"Well this is interesting." A voice commented.

"Oh bugger." I cursed to myself, turning around to see the one and only Erik Lehnsherr staring at me with an amused grin. "Feisty aren't you?" I glared at him, guessing to myself that we would not be having the easiest of relationships. "Oh no," I shot back, "this is just sleep deprived Pamela, try having a conversation with her not half asleep, though she'll probably bite your head off." I mused. Erik shot me a look of bewilderment.

"Alright lets not beat around the bush, you obviously heard."

"Well how do you know Shaw?"

"How do you know Shaw?"

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second."

My eyes fell to the suitcase in his hand. I looked back up, folding my arms as I sighed. "You're leaving?" I guessed. He didn't reply, going to turn away from me. "He killed my mother." I blurted out, surprising myself. That got his attention rather well, and he turned back around. "What?" Looking him right in the eye, I stepped forward-wondering what I'd be opening up. "Shaw. The bastard told me if I didn't compel a man to shoot himself, that he'd kill my mum. I thought he was-" I regained my composure, not wanting to start having a meltdown right in front of him. "Because of my naivety and defiance, he killed her. Believe me, I wanted to kill him last night, I've hated that man for a long time for everything he took from me." For a moment he looked to be registering my words.

"They can help Erik."

"I don't need help."

"Poppycock!" I cried. "You would have killed yourself if we hadn't been there. Erik you don't to be him." And I meant it. He had a look in his eye that could only be described as the calm before the storm, and I think he knew I had guessed the lengths he was willing to go. "Killing yourself isn't going to get you justice for whatever he did to you-" He froze for a second. "But going after him together, all of us, and getting that **_sick freak-"_ **My words hardened considerably. Had he done the experiments on him too? "-it means neither of us have to be killers. There is a better way."

"And you really believe that?" he questioned.

"I'd like to think so yes." I admitted, though feeling rather naïve. "Now I could stop you," I informed him confidently, "and order you to drag your arse back inside. But I think you need friends meathead." I smiled, turning away from him to go back inside. "Shaw's got mates!" I called. "You could use some."

...


End file.
